Pokemon: The Vanguard Legend! Book 1: Kanto Series
by Shadow1275
Summary: Welcome to the world of pokemon! A world populated by creatures with incredible powers who stand beside the trainers who support them and work towards good and evil outcomes. Meet new heroes as we follow them on their quest to accomplish their dreams. Friend's will be made, tears will be shed, and hearts will be broken. But most important of all, legends will be made!
1. Prologue and Chapter 1:First Impressions

Pokemon-A New Legend is Born!

From the beginning of time, people have questioned the meaning of life. Why am I here? And what is my Purpose? Ever harder is the fact that we are surrounded by so many forces which exert their control over our lives. Nowhere is this more true than in the Kanto region. Welcome to the world of Pokemon, a place filled with mysterious and exciting creatures who populate the world alongside humans. There are many different relationships that pokemon harbor with humans. Some prefer to care for pokemon, while others are much more ruthless in their treatment of this great species. Pokemon and humans have long existed in harmony for many years, as bonds built between trainer and pokemon grow. So prepare yourself for harsh trials, pain, and suffering. But also for a world filled with new friends, adventure, memories of joy, love, and sorrow. A world of wonder and amazement with incredible creatures. Prepare yourself… for the world of Pokemon!

Prologue: Nightmare!

It was dark, he was surrounded by darkness. Confused, he looked around trying to figure out where he was. "Am I dead?" He thought, than quickly turned as he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. However all he saw was two gigantic shadows linked by a strand of black. "Are you Joe Donnelly?" The specter furthest away from him asked in an ominous voice. "What do you want from me?" Joe shouted as he slowly took a step back. "You are a threat to pokemon everywhere, and you must be dealt with!" The voice answered back, a clear tone of maliciousness in its voice. "But I want to be a trainer! I love pokemon!" Joe answered in desperation. He didn't want to find out how he would be "dealt with." The specter wasn't listening, as Joe's eyes grew wide with fear when he saw a giant orange ball from above the shadows. It then shot high into the air where it hovered above him. "You are Guilty!" The specter exclaimed, as he brought his finger down. Joe watched in horror as the ball immediately split up into a thousand bolts which began to plummet to the ground. "No this can't be happening!" He thought as he brought his arms in front of his head, trying to shield his body. But inside he knew it was useless. "NNNNOOOOOOOOO!" He shouted with the last of his strength as he was skewered and left in an eternal darkness.

Chapter 1: First Impressions!

"Bzzt Bzzt Bzzt." Joe immediately awoke in a cold sweat, as his ears were assaulted by his alarm clock. "Phew, what a terrible dream. I'll be happy if I never have that one again." He thought to himself as he slowed his breathing. Once he was sure that his heart attack was over, he immediately jumped out of his bed and went into the bathroom. "Well, time to get ready for the day!" He thought as he began to get dressed. As he hopped into the shower, he found himself whistling. This didn't surprise him however, for today was a special day. "Today's the day I get my- Joe breakfast is ready!" His mom called from the kitchen as she de-railed his train of thought. "K mom!" Joe shouted back as he turned off the water from the shower and grabbed a towel. "Hurry up honey, you don't want to be late for Professor Oak!" "Alright Mom ease up!" He quickly walked into his room and toweled off. "Now what should I wear?" He thought as he opened the door to his closet. He then remembered that he only had one outfit. It was nothing special, a pair of grey sweatpants with a black short sleeve shirt. Along with it came a dark green sleeveless vest with a couple gold pockets and a pair of Black boots. "While fashion was never really my thing." Shrugging to himself, he grabbed his clothes and began to dress. "What's taking to long?" He heard his mom say as he pulled on his pants "Relax!" He answered as he shook his head. His mother though kind had always been a worrier and though he loved her, it did tend to grind at him after a while. Finally pulling on his boots and hat, he was about to make a beeline for the door when he stopped himself. "Almost forgot these." He said cheerfully as he reached for the three things on his bed stand. The objects comprised were a pair of black fingerless gloves which his mom had given him when he was ten and his watch which he used to tell time. Slipping on his watch and gloves, he turned and ran down the stairs excitement brimming in his eyes.

"Well you're awfully excited today." He heard Andrea say as he skipped the last four steps and landed in a crouch. "Careful, you're going to ruin my floors!" "I'm sorry mom." Joe apologized as he got out of his crouch. But there was no trace of remorse in his voice, only contained excitement. "That's alright." She answered with a loving smile, then added, "The foods over there on the counter. Help yourself honey." Smiling Joe half-walked half-ran to the counter. He then proceeded to grab the whole platter and stuffed as much food as he could into his mouth without moving to the table. "Just because you're old enough to own a pokemon now, doesn't mean you can eat without table manners. It isn't like you to be so immature." Andrea scolded, then sighed and said to herself with mock indignation, "I thought that I raised you better than this." Seeing right through it, Joe tried to reply but all he got out was, "mmmrrufd ahjsclajdk ajclndicicvb," along with a few pieces of pancake. After chewing vigorously, he finally managed to swallow. Getting up from the table, he then ran up to his mother and smiled. "Oh stop it! You know you love me!" He said as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "You're right I do." She answered as she watched him race out the door. As he jumped down to the ground, he heard her shout, "Wait! What about your birthday present?" But he just kept on moving. Today was a very important day for him. Today was the day that he would receive his first pokemon.

As he reached Professor Oak's lab he saw that a truck was sitting in front of the lab with its motor running. Walking around it, he was about to open the double doors to the lab when all of a sudden they opened by themselves. "Excuse me, in a rush!" Joe heard a man say as he looked towards the source of the noise. In front of him was a group of men who were carrying large boxes, so large that he couldn't see the faces of the men. "This is going to end badly." Joe thought as he warned, "Careful, you're gonna-!" But it was too late, as he and the man in front collided. Like a set of dominos, each man behind the leader was knocked over along with the boxes they were holding. "I'm so sorry." The leader apologized as he slowly got up. "It's alright." Joe answered cordially but on the inside he was annoyed. This man was getting in the way of his first pokemon. "It's just that we're in a hurry, and these packages have to get to Cerulean gym soon." The delivery man stated as he offered Joe his hand. Then he added, "Would you mind helping us?" Joe quickly answered as he took it, "I'm sorry but I can't, I have a date with a Charmander." "But if we're late then a lot of pokemon trainers will be disappointed…" The man pleaded as he quickly began to pick up his box. Brushing himself off, Joe began mulling his options over. "No, I can't stop. I've got to get my pokemon. I've got to…Stupid conscience." After he brushed himself off he replied, "Well I guess I can spare a couple moments." Instantly, the man went from pleading to seriousness and began barking out orders. "Good to hear, my names Sadow by the way. Now take these boxes and load them onto the truck!" The Sadow exclaimed as he practically threw the two boxes that he was holding into Joe's arms. "Uh… what just happened?" Joe wondered to himself as he barely kept the boxes from falling. "Wake up kid! We've got a deadline to make." Sadow exclaimed as he began pushing Joe out the door. As they walked to the truck, Sadow asked, "So what's your deal kid?" Joe, who was starting to get irritated simply answered, "none of your business." "Oh drop the tough guy act kid, that won't win you any friends here." Sadow cheerfully answered as he slapped Joe on the back, almost knocking the boxes from his arms. "He's lucky that my arms are tied up, or else I'd show him how "friendly" I can be." Joe thought as he stated, "It's not an act." Sadow simply chuckled and answered, "I can tell. You sure can lift boxes." He then added, "Why don't you work as a delivery man?" Joe immediately answered, "No chance. I'm going to be a Pokemon trainer." "Pokemon trainer huh? I don't know kid, that's not an easy life to lead." Sadow replied as he suddenly grew less cheerful. As he placed the boxes in the back of the truck, Joe shot back, "Neither is moving boxes. Besides, it's what I want." However, Sadow narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you sure?" "No doubt." Joe answered smugly, then added, "Why all the questions old man?" Sadow sensing the suspicion in Joe's voice simply replied, "No reason, I'm just a curious kind of guy. So what's your name kid." "It's Joe." He answered. "He doesn't need to know my last name, especially since he's been creeping on me for the past 15 minutes." Joe thought as he folded his arms. "Well Joe, best of luck on your journey." Sadow said as he and his men climbed into the truck. Seeing Sadow offer his hand out the window, Joe pondered whether he should take it or not. Making up his mind, he took Sadow's hand and firmly shook saying, "Likewise Sadow." Then Sadow rolled the window up and the truck accelerated off into the distance. As he watched the truck drive away, Joe shook his head and thought to himself, "crazy old man."

"Professor Oak, I'm here!" Joe stated as he walked into the lab. Everything was as he remembered it; from the 3 rows of bookshelves, to the table, computer, and healing device. As Joe walked past the first set of bookshelves he saw Professor Oak talking to one of his assistants. "Yes that's right, I just signed the order." He then smiled and looked over at Joe. "Ah Joe welcome, you're late." Oak said. Joe was about to answer when all of a sudden Oak looked back over at his assistant and said, "Oh and be sure to put that into the monthly transaction report. We don't want to screw up the balance." "Busy as always." Joe thought as his eyes darted to a trio of pokeballs sitting on the table. "I'll take care of it." Oak's assistant promised, as she turned and hurried off to another part of the lab. "So what brings you here today?" Oak asked as he began observing a Caterpie in a glass cage, while taking notes on his clipboard. "While today's the day I get my first pokemon." Joe said, failing to keep the excitement out of his voice. "Well about that…" Oak tried to say as he stopped writing, but Joe simply kept going. "About what? My first pokemon? That's a good questi-." He wondered aloud as he began to ramble. He then began walking over to the table, eager to release his new friend from one of the balls. "Joe there's-" Oak began to say, but he was interrupted by Joe's rambling. "-on. I was thinking someone like Charmander. I do love fir-." Joe rambled on as his hand brushed a pokeball. "Joe, I don't have any starter pokemon to give you." Oak stated bluntly. "-e type… wait what?" Joe asked as he stopped mid-sentence. "I'm sorry Joe, but I just shipped all of my available beginner pokemon away a couple of minutes ago." Oak said, a hint of regret in his voice. "WHHAATTT!" Joe exclaimed, looking as if he had been hit by a freight train. "That's right Joe." Oak replied as he began moving over to Joe. "But what about the balls on the table?" Joe asked, a hint of hope in his voice. But it was quickly crushed, as Oak replied sadly, "Those are just empty poke-balls unfortunately." Tapping his clipboard, he then added, "In fact I just signed the order for them to be shipped on a truck." For the second time in a row Joe felt as if he had been hit by a freight train. "No way, it couldn't be." He thought as he remembered the truck. The truck that he had just loaded with his own two hands. Filled to the brim with boxes and boxes of poke-balls. "That old BASTARD!" Joe thought as he remembered Sadow's laughter. "No wonder he was laughing the whole time." Oak put his hand on Joe's shoulder. "Look Joe, I know you wanted a new pokemon but Cerulean gym requested a shipment and I didn't have a choice." He explained trying to convince Joe. But Joe would have none of it. Grabbing the pokemon professor's shoulders Joe said, "Professor, this is important. You don't know what this means to me!" When he didn't get an immediate response, he added desperately. "Isn't there any pokemon left?" At first Oak's face stayed blank, but after what seemed like an eternity for Joe Oak finally answered. "Well we do have one pokemon left but..." Oak calmly replied. "But what?" Joe asked, as a hint of hope returned to his voice. "First let me go, I can't show you anything until I can move my arms." Oak said as Joe immediately released his grip. "Oh sorry professor." Joe apologized sheepishly. "Much better. Now as I was saying we do have one pokemon left but this one is… difficult, especially considering how hard the life of a pokemon trainer is already." Oak said, massaging the parts of his shoulders where Joe had grabbed him. "How exactly?" Joe asked. "Well there's a reason that I didn't, or rather I couldn't send it to Cerulean." Oak answered, as if trying to change the subject. Joe who was desperate for a pokemon kept pushing. "Whatever, I'll take it." Finally giving in, Oak motioned for Joe to follow. Oak with Joe close behind him walked forward until they reached his desk. On top of the desk was a computer, a scanning machine for analysis, and what appeared to be a flat sheet of metal. "One moment." Oak said as he reached forward and pushed a button on his computer. All of a sudden the empty space split in two revealing a hidden compartment. Out of the space rose a single poke-ball inside of a metal case. The case was locked with a keypad combination which Oak quickly typed into the key-pad. After a couple beeping noises, Joe heard a confirmation tone and saw the top part of the case rise up. Oak then proceeded to pick up the pokeball and place it into Joe's hand. Joe couldn't believe it, in his hands was a real live pokemon. His pokemon to be exact. "Why don't you introduce yourself." Oak suggested as he saw the smile on Joe's face. Carefully, Joe pressed the button on the front of the pokeball and pointed it towards an empty space. A red light shot out of the center of the ball and towards the floor. The light began to assume a form which materialized into what appeared to be a blue turtle. It was a blue skinned pokemon with a swirly tail and a scaly orange shell. It stood on all fours and upon realizing that it was out of its pokeball, it immediately shouted, "Squirtle!" "Ah yes, as it has pointed out, this is Squirtle." Oak stated matter of factly. "A Squirtle?" Joe said confused. Instead of answering his question however, Oak simply flipped open a red device and pointed it at the pokemon. "What's he up to?" Joe wondered. His question was answered immediately, as the device began to talk in a deep male voice. "Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokémon. Squirtle draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful." "Incredible water attacks huh?" Joe asked with a hint of eagerness in his voice. All of a sudden Oak's face grew worried as he started to move his arms in a warning motion, but it was too late. The device upon hearing Joe's querie answered, "Squirtle are known for extremely powerful water gun attacks." As soon as the device had spoken water gun, Squirtle immediately opened its mouth and fired a large stream of water. Gushing forward, the jet of water slammed into a group of file cabinets and sent them slamming into a wall. "My GS Ball notes!" Oak exclaimed in despair, as his files were reduced to a pile of soggy trash. "Impressive." Joe thought as he walked over to Squirtle. Kneeling down he carefully introduced himself. "Hi little guy, my name is Joe and I'm going to be your trainer." Squirtle immediately tried to hide behind Oak's leg. "What's a matter with him?" Joe asked, standing back up. "Well he's a little young to be sent away with a trainer." Oak explained as he picked up his notes. Confused Joe asked, "Then why give him to me?" Oak stood up and walked over to Joe. Putting his hand on Joe's shoulder he said, "Because I trust you. I know that you'll treat him right." For a second Joe didn't know how to react. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say, that part was simple. All he had to say was; I won't let you down. What confused him was that he had never really been in this kind of situation where an older man had been proud of him. As far as he could remember, it had always been himself and his mother. Throughout school and the 2 years he had spent refraining from beginning his journey, Joe had never had a true father. Except for Oak who had taken him in and introduced him to pokemon. And now Oak was putting his trust in Joe but for some reason… it didn't feel right. Almost like it was a responsibility that Joe didn't want. So instead of saying what he should have Joe, wanting to escape the awkward situation, turned to his new pokemon. "C'mon Squirt, let's go have some fun." He said as he picked up Squirtle's pokeball. "Squirt Squirtle!" the tiny turtle cried back, as he began running after Joe. They immediately bolted out the doors, but Oak was not finished. "Wait, don't you want your pokadex and balls?" He called out to them as he burst through the double doors. But it was too late, Joe and Squirtle were already heading for the Pallet town entrance and were out of sight.

"So this is Pallet town." Shane thought to himself as he passed through the entrance. "Kinda small place. Boring too." It had been a long and hard journey, especially traveling from Saffron city without a pokemon. But he had finally made it to Pallet town, where he could begin his quest to accomplish his dream. "Now to find professor Oa-" All of a sudden his thought was interrupted by a missile hitting his side. Disoriented for a couple seconds, he slowly picked himself up and tried to figure out what had just happened. "Ow my head." He groaned as he saw someone else stand up in front of him. It was a kid wearing a Black hat with the rim pointing backwards and a green flame symbol above the lid. "Hey watchit jerk!" He exclaimed as he shook his fist at the kid. "You don't own the road here idiot, watch where you're walking." The kid shot back as he got up and faced Shane. Seeing the kid try to move around him, Shane blocked his path. "Stand aside." The kid demanded forcefully, a look of determination in his eyes. Shane was not about to back down. "And if I don't?" He answered, daring the kid to punch him. The kid however had other ideas. With an annoyed expression on his face, he snapped his fingers and stated, "Squirtle, water gun." "Squirtle?" Shane wondered in confusion as all of a sudden he was blasted by a jet of water. For the second time in minutes he was sent flying into the ground several meters. "C'mon Squirtle lets go." The kid said as he and his pokemon began to move on. "Hey, don't you run away from me!" Shane called out as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. The boy just kept on walking forward, oblivious to Shane's tantrum. "Get back here and fight me!" He called out again but it was no use, the boy was gone. Eventually Shane got up and resolved to forget about the kid. "I've come too far to let myself get down about one loser. Besides, I'll probably never see him again anyway." Looking forward to receiving his pokemon, he began to cheer up and immediately set off for the laboratory. As he reached it however, he noticed a man doubled over panting. "Huff. Geez, I'm not as Puff… young as I used to be." The man wheezed as he slowly caught his breath. "Excuse me sir, I'm looking for Professor Oak." Shane stated as he approached the man. "Well kid, what can I do for you?" Oak asked kindly. "All right here goes." Shane thought as he asked, "Sir I'm from Saffron city and I'd like a pokemon to start my journey." Confused, Oak asked, "What about Saffron city gym?" Shane looked off to the side and answered. "Well I don't really have the money to buy a pokemon…" For some reason, Oak looked confused as if Shane had told him something he had never heard before. Then the look disappeared and was replaced by a gentle smile. "While the pokemon I give new trainers are completely free of charge…" Shane's heart leapt with excitement. It didn't last long however. "But I just recently sent them all away." Oak explained, and upon seeing Shane's disappointed expression added, "I'm very sorry. Perhaps another time." He was crushed, having come all this way for nothing. He immediately turned around to hide the look of pure disappointment he was sure was etched on his face. "It's alright, I…I've got to go." He said as he struggled to keep the disappointment out of his face. "This is impossible. How could I have come so far only to fail before I even started my journey." He thought as he began to walk away. In the distance, he heard someone talking to Oak. "Professor, I have terrible news!" "What now!" He heard Oak groan. "It's our GS files, they're completely destroyed! Now we'll never finish that project!" "I know Shiro. You're wasting my time." Then Shane heard something that made him stop in his tracks. "But professor, someone has taken our Squirtle!" He heard the man who must be Shiro say. Intrigued, he moved closer to the building. Hugging the wall, he inched closer to the end where he could hear Oak and his assistant talking around the corner. "It's alright Shiro, I gave it to a friend. He wanted a pokemon to start his journey with so I gave him the only one we had left." Oak answered, and then added. "Of course he should have taken his pokeballs and pokedex before he ran off like a madman. Which is strange cause usually he is a lot more calm and compos…" Shane strained to hear them as their conversation carried off. But the sound of slamming doors told him that he had heard all he was going to. "And that's all I need to know anyway." Shane thought as he turned and walked towards the entrance. "Squirtle huh. Perhaps we're going to see each other again sooner than I thought."


	2. Chapter 2: Joe's First Pokemon!

Chapter 2-Joe's First Pokemon!

Joe couldn't help but smile as he strutted down route 1. Part of it was due to the great weather, but also sending that kid flying had cheered him up considerably. As he walked he marveled at the trees, the flowers, and even the grass. Mere days ago he never would have been able to leave the town. Though route 1 did not have many scary pokemon, it was still considered very dangerous to travel without one. "Though, that never stopped me the few times that I snuck out." Joe thought to himself as he walked along the dirt path. Glancing back he saw his squirtle walking behind him. The turtle pokemon was also taking in many of the sights, a look of amazement etched on its face. "He looks happy." Joe thought to himself, and then decided to get a better lay of the land. Seeing a familiar tree, he began running up to it and grabbed one of the branches. He then rocked his legs back and forth until he gained enough momentum to pull himself on top of the tree branch. Having reached the top, he now had a bird's eye view of route 1. "Wow, I can see everything! Even Viridian city." However, though the lights were impressive, they weren't what he was looking for. Out in the distance, Joe finally spotted what seemed to be three pokemon surrounding a rock formation. "Finally some real action!" Joe thought as he jumped down to the grass below. "C'mon Squirtle, let's go." He called out as he ran towards where he had seen the rock formation. "Time for my first battle!" Joe thought enthused. However, when he reached the actual rock formation he realized that things were not really what they had seemed. "What the?" Joe thought confused. In front of him was a pack of Growlithe who had surrounded a different pokemon. His eyes widened as he saw that the pokemon was a wild Charmander. The pokemon was standing on top of a small rock, keeping the Growlithe at bay by swiping whenever one tried to climb the rock. "I've got to do something!" Joe thought as he shouted, "Quick Squirtle, use water gun!" He was left dumbfounded however, when he noticed that the move he had called out was not very effective. In fact, nothing happened at all. Joe wondering what had gone wrong looked to his side and noticed that his Squirtle had completely disappeared. In fact as Joe turned back he could see his pokemon hiding in the bushes, a look of fear etched in his eyes. Then things got infinitely worse. Hearing a menacing growl, Joe looked towards the source of the noise. Having heard him call out his attack, half of the Growlithe pack had turned and were advancing on him. Joe looked closely at the menacing teeth of the Growlithe, but he knew that the teeth were nothing compared to the fire that could be launched at him at a moment's notice. Slowly he began to back away, step by step trying not to agitate the pokemon. All of a sudden however, he heard something that made him stop. With the pack slowly encircling him, the lone Charmander looked towards Joe and let out a cry of desperation. Though he didn't speak pokemon, Joe knew what it was. A desperate cry for help. It was then that he was faced with a decision. He could make a run for it and try to grab the Charmander, or he could save himself and leave the Charmander to the Growlithe. With only moments to decide, Joe's mind clouded by fear and anxiety made the logical choice. Faced with death at the hands of being torn apart or worse; burnt alive, Joe slowly turned and ran. As he ran through the bushes, he picked up his Squirtle and sprinted as fast as he could. "It was the right decision." He kept telling himself as he ran but that didn't help to drown out the tortured cries of abandonment which followed him as he forced himself not to look back.

"What a coward." Shane thought as he watched the kid run away. As soon as he had heard Oak talk about the last starter pokemon, he immediately ran out of the entrance. At first it had been difficult to find the kid due to his head start. Then he had finally spotted him, standing on top of a tree branch looking out across the valley. He would have made a move sooner, but then Shane had noticed the Growlithe pack and decided to hide in case the pack decided to attack him instead. However, now that the kid and his pokemon had separated themselves from the pack he realized that his moment would come soon. "I'm so close." Shane thought as his eyes followed them. "I only have to watch and wait, and then I'll be able to strike." As he silently followed them, gray storm clouds began forming in the sky.

"That was too close." Joe thought as he wiped the sweat from his brow. They had ran for miles until Joe knew for sure that they were out of danger. But while Joe who was in shape quickly caught his breath, Squirtle was panting. "He's got that heavy shell on his back, plus something about him has seemed off this entire time." Joe carefully looked back towards the direction they had come from, once again making sure that the coast was clear. "Squirt Squirtle Squirt." His pokemon growled as it finally caught its breath. "What are you saying?" Joe asked with a confused look on his face. Though he could read emotions, he was having a hard time understanding Squirtle-speak. Then he saw Squirtle looking back towards the rock formation. "Oh what so you think that this is my fault?" Joe said as his voice started to rise. "Squirtle Squirt." Squirtle answered. For the first time today, it seemed confident for whatever reason as it pointed an accusing finger at Joe. Joe had officially had enough. Today he had been used by Sadow, lied to by Oak, and then attacked by a group of Growlithe. But the biggest factor behind his temper boiling was the face of the charmander stuck in his head. "Oh and it can't be because of you at all right. I mean, if you hadn't been such an awful coward then perhaps that pokemon wouldn't have become Growlithe food!" Joe exploded as the pressure inside of him finally burst out in one barrage. The sudden burst of bravery from his Squirtle immediately disappeared and was replaced by the shyness from before. But Joe wasn't finished. Opening his mouth he said one last thing that he immediately regretted. "You're pathetic!" Joe stated with as much venom as he could muster. At first Joe's expression stayed unchanged, but then Squirtle reacted. Joe watched in horror as Squirtle's face slowly went from fear to an outright mixture of sadness and depression. "Squirt-" Joe tried to say, but it was drowned out as the pokemon began to cry. Joe's anger was replaced by guilt, but then again replaced by anger, this time directed at himself. As if to echo his own emotions, he heard a crack of thunder. Looking around, he realized that not only were they deep in the valley but it was also getting late. "We won't be able to beat the storm out. It's best to just find some shelter until tomorrow." Spotting a cave close-by, Joe turned to Squirtle and coldly beckoned, "C'mon, let's go take shelter in that cave over there." For a couple moments the pokemon stood right where it was, but eventually began to slowly follow Joe along the path. Rain steadily began to pour as they sprinted inside the cave. Sitting down, Joe cupped his hands and blew out a hot stream of air warming them up. He then noticed Squirtle shivering in a corner. "Come here." Joe called, intent on making up for earlier. But the pokemon just ignored him and kept sitting in the corner with its back turned to him. "Oh well, he'll get over it eventually." Joe mentally shrugged as he yawned. It had been a long day, and his energy was running low from lack of food. Tired, he lied down on his back and put his hands behind his head. Surely but slowly, the fatigue took over as his eyes drooped and then closed sending him into darkness.

Before he woke up Joe knew that something was wrong. He just had an instinct, as if something that had been there before was now missing. Getting up, he put his hat on his head and immediately scanned the cave. Then he realized it, Squirtle was gone. As he looked outside, he noticed that the rain had not stopped and there was a powerful wind causing tree branches to lash out in all directions. "He won't be able to survive a storm like this, water pokemon or not." Joe thought to himself as he began moving towards the door. However, while he was worried for Squirtle the image of the Charmander flashed in his mind. Shaking his head, he put his hand on his hat to keep it from being blown off and began running full tilt into the storm. "Squirtle! Squirtle!" He called out as his voice struggled to beat out the sounds of thunder clapping in the sky. But he got no answer and he realized that it was hopeless. He had lost Squirtle, and he knew that he was never coming back. Disheartened, Joe began to walk back towards the forest for cover when all of a sudden he heard a cry for help. "Squirtle?" Joe called out as he looked towards the source of the cry. But instead of a turtle, he saw a reddish-orange lizard like pokemon standing under a tree. "That's that charmander from earlier." Joe thought in amazement as he began moving closer to it. "It has to be, especially with that scar running down its eye. The Growlithe must have been scared by the storm and run off." As he drew closer, it saw him and let out a warning hiss. Seeing it open its mouth, Joe hit the deck as he felt a wave of heat flow over his back. The Charmander closed its mouth and gave him an aggressive look. "Well it's not like I didn't deserve that, but there's something else to that look. Not just aggression, but…Fear?" Joe wondered as he picked himself up off of the ground. He then realized why. The tree that the Charmander was hiding behind was also home to a Beedrill nest, or at least it had been. Joe was forced to catch his hat in mid-air, as a great gust of wind rolled through and knocked the Bee-drill nest off of it's branch… Right next to the Charmander. Joe watched in horror as 5 miffed Bee-drill came out of their nest and immediately began buzzing around the unfortunate bystander below. "They must think that he was the one who ruined their nest!" For a second, the Beedrill were thrown off-guard by the wind. "Now's your chance, run!" Joe called out to the Charmander. But it was no use, and Joe was forced to duck as another wave of fire was shot out at him. Then Joe saw it. Charmander, whose cover had just been ruined, was forced to jump to the side in order to protect his tail. However, because he was in the air he was vulnerable and as if on cue the wind had picked the worst moment possible to die down. Time slowed down as Charmander flew through the air, and all 5 Bee-drill flew in formation with the intention to skewer it with their stingers. Joe could see the look of fear on Charmander's face as the stingers reflected in his eyes. Once again Joe was forced to make a decision. This time however the path was clear. Taking a step forward he began to sprint towards the Charmander. The torrent of rain combined with the wind felt like blades against his skin as he ran, but he didn't care. "I'm not going to run away this time. I'm not going to let another pokemon get hurt." Joe thought determined as he gathered all of the strength in his legs and jumped forward. At the last moment he saw the look of utter surprise etched on Charmander's face as Joe appeared in front of him which Joe returned with a smile. And then it turned to a grimace as he felt five stingers stab straight into his back. But though the pain was considerable, Joe knew that the worst was yet to come. All of a sudden his body was wracked by waves of pain as the poison from the sting began to kick in. But he didn't care, because this time Charmander was safe. As he fell to the ground, he heard the Charmander walk up to him growling inquisitively. "Time for you to go buddy." Joe answered as he looked into it's green eyes. But it was persistent a look of worry mixed with confusion etched on its face. "Charmander I… I'm sorry." Joe said as the pain in his body increased. "I… I shouldn't have abandoned you earlier. I shouldn't have ran. But this time… I didn't because, I know what it's like to be alone." If it hadn't been raining, Joe could have sworn that Charmander was crying. Despite the Bee-drill hovering over them, he continued. "My mother, she loves me but she's always working. And my father… I don't have a father." He knew that he didn't have much time left, but he wanted to finish. For some reason this living thing felt different from everything else, as if he had an obligation to continue. "But it felt good for a while at least, to… to meet someone who was the same as me. Who knew how I felt." Joe finally finished as blackness began to close in on his eyes. The Bee-drill, having recovered from another gust of wind began to close in on them looking to finish the job. "Charmander, you have to go." Joe urged. But Charmander would have none of it. It simply stood up and faced the Bee-drill. "Charmander…you!" Joe thought. Suddenly his pain eased a little as his adrenaline kicked in. "Thank you Charmander!" Joe thought to himself as he placed his hands on the ground. It took every ounce of strength that he had to fight back against the agonizing pain from the poison. But Joe endured, pushing as hard as he could until finally he stood right behind Charmander. "Alright Charmander, let's take-em down!" Joe stated coolly as Charmander opened its mouth and let loose a blast of fire. "This is incredible!" Joe thought to himself. Though they were surrounded by enemies, Joe felt no fear as a look of calm determination was etched on his face. This was mirrored by the look of tenacity on Charmander's. As Joe's determination grew, so did the flame on Charmander's tail. Fueled with pure determination, Joe shouted, "Alright Charmander, use ember at full power!" Charmander nodded and opened its mouth wide. Joe watched with satisfaction as it let loose a barrage of fire bullets which slammed straight into the Bee-drill. "Fire moves like that ember ought to wreck these bug pokemon." Joe thought as he watched the Bee-drill go flying. "Besides, nothing can stop us!" For a second, their wings seemed to flutter, but then that died out as all 5 Bee-drill slammed to the ground. Relieved, Joe couldn't help but smile as Charmander let out a blast of fire in victory. "Good job Charmander, that was amazing!" Joe said as Charmander turned around and tackled him. He was immediately knocked over, but not by Charmander's tackle. Pain rushed through his body again as the adrenaline wore off. Charmander immediately let out a panicked cry as Joe fell to the ground. He knew that he was probably going to die, as it had taken everything he had to stand and fight with Charmander. As blackness closed in on him, his mind drifted back to Squirtle, Oak, Charmander, and his mom. The thought of losing them hurt, but he didn't care. "At least I got to be a trainer for a little while." Joe thought. Finally, he succumbed to the darkness. But before he was taken away, the last thing he saw was a serpent-like figure flying amid the clouds.

"So this is how his story ends? How disappointing." The shadow said aloud as he got off of his pokemon. The boy was lying on the ground, unmoving, cold. "While I told him that this life was a hard one, he should have listened." Yet, for some reason the person continued to approach as if compelled to confirm the boy's death. As he grew closer, the pokemon began to hiss warning him to stay away. "Relax my little friend. I'm not here to hurt him. Besides the damage has been done already." The person reassured and then signaled his pokemon. All of a sudden the air was filled with white spores. Confident, the person took another step forward but a shocked expression took over his face. Not only was the pokemon staying on its feet, but the boy was still breathing. The person pondered their next move as he waited for the pokemon to succumb. "So is this your answer? What you want? The pain you have experienced today is nothing compared to what lies ahead if you carry down this path." But as he reached the boy, he smiled. "But the potential that I have seen in you is incredible, as is your determination. And I confess that I look forward to seeing you grow. While in that case…"

"Joe, honey wake up please." Joe was immediately awoken by his mother. Startled, he nearly fell off of his bed as he sat straight up. "Where… where am I?" Joe asked confused. "You're home honey." His mother answered as she offered him some water. After seeing his confused expression she added, "Why, is something wrong honey?" "What's going on? The last thing I remember was collapsing out in the valley." He thought as he answered, "No it's just, how did I get here?" "Why Professor Oak brought you back here last night." Andrea replied, a worried expression on her face. Joe shook his head and wondered if he was dreaming again. None of this made a shred of sense to him. Andrea changing the subject asked, "By the way who's your new friend?" Joe looked to who she was addressing and saw Charmander sleeping on his lap. "This is…" However, he trailed off. "I know he's a Charmander but to me this one is special. The question is what to name him?" For a couple moments, he was deep in thought. But then it came to him. Smiling he answered, "This is Blaze, my first pokemon." Upon hearing his new name, Blaze immediately awoke and snuggled close to Joe. "Haha, I think he likes it!" Andrea laughed, then added, "He's adorable." Blaze immediately growled in protest, as did Joe. "My pokemon are not going to be "adorable" mom." He disagreed as he and Blaze folded their arms simultaneously. "Whatever you say dear. By the way you had this in your hands when Oak brought you over. Perhaps you should hang on to it." Andrea replied as she handed him an object. Joe looked closely at it. It was a hard rock that gave off a green glow and to his surprise… heat. "Thanks I guess." Joe said with a confused look on his face. "Well Joe, you seem to be healthy again and you have your own pokemon. What will you do now?" His mother asked, a hint of hope in her voice. Joe exchanged a look with Blaze and answered, "Well…"

It was time. Joe had all of his clothes, sleeping bag, medical supplies, etc. He had always been a well-prepared person, sometimes too well prepared. Though it was the second time this week that he was at the entrance to Pallet Town, this time was different. Not only was there a crowd gathered to see him off, but this time he was leaving. For good. With no intention of coming back for a long time. "Are you sure about this?" His mother asked him as she gave him a hug. "Relax mom, you worry too much." Joe answered as he rolled his eyes. "I know but that's my job." She replied sadly. As they separated, she said, "Oh by the way I have a present for you." "For me? What is it?" Joe inquired, curious as to what else she could stuff in his backpack. As he looked on, she pulled a strange looking small device out of her bag. "This is a PokePad. It's the latest gear from Silph Co. which can act as a phone, map, radio, gps…" "Mom, mom." "…and make sure you eat plenty of food and brushyourteethandwash-" Andrea said as she began to ramble on. But Joe interrupted her by saying, "Andrea. I'll be alright." Andrea smiled sadly and answered, "I know… It's just hard to see your kids grow up." Joe simply removed his old watch and replaced it with his PokePad. But instead of chucking it, he gave his stainless steel watch to his mother. Silently nodding, she put it in her pocket and stepped back. Then Oak stepped forward, and Joe immediately looked down at the ground. This was the conversation that he had been dreading. "Joe-" Oak started to say but Joe cut in. "Professor, I know I let you down with Squirtle." But he stopped when he saw Oak hold up his hand. "You're right Joe, you did let me down with Squirtle." Oak answered with a serious voice, but then he smiled and put his hand on Joe's shoulder. "But I know that you will make it up to me because I know you." Oak stated proudly. Joe slowly smiled and with a determined look on his face he answered, "I won't let you down sir!" Then Oak took his other hand and handed Joe a couple of items. "These are your official pokedex and complimentary poke-balls. They will be invaluable on your journey." Oak stated as Joe took the items. At that point, everything had been said. Farewells had been made and Joe knew it was time to go. Turning around, he waved to the crowd and turned to leave. As he walked away, he heard several people shout out things such as good luck. "Goodbye Joe." "Good Luck on your Journey!" He even heard someone shout, "Give-em hell kid!" But one voice stood out from all the rest. "Take care of yourself honey!" Without looking back, Joe simply raised his hand in goodbye. As Pallet Town faded into the horizon, Joe looked towards his new partner who was walking beside him. "Looks like it's just you and me from here on out." Joe stated as they walked forward. Smiling, Blaze spoke his approval, "Char Char!" Returning his smile, Joe looked towards the future and replied with a determined look. "Well Blaze, let's go get-em!"


	3. Chapter 3: Viridian City!

Chapter 3: Viridian City!

"So this is Viridian city?" Joe wondered out loud as he walked past the entrance. "You ever been here Blaze?" But as he looked back at his pokemon, he noticed that it was lagging behind. It had been a long day. Though Viridian was only about an hour's walk from Pallet town, Joe had wanted to spend some time getting to know Blaze. "Getting to know as in training." Joe thought to himself. "We have been working hard though, maybe it's time for a rest." Stopping for a second, he waited for Blaze to catch up. "What's the matter buddy?" Joe asked as the pokemon leaned against a wall. "Char…." Blaze answered, clearly exhausted. "I know buddy, but if you can't walk any further you could always hop into your ball." Joe offered as he held the ball out. Blaze immediately growled in protest and would have swiped the ball out of Joe's hand had he not pulled it back. "Someone's grouchy." Joe thought with a smile as he said, "Relax buddy, I understand. I wouldn't want to live in that thing either, who knows what it looks on the inside." He then put the ball away and stuck out his arm. Patting his shoulder with his other hand, he beckoned, "Here, hop on up. You earned it." Blaze immediately grabbed onto Joe's arm and slowly climbed up onto his right shoulder. "There is that better?" Joe asked as he began walking towards the city. However, he got no response. Looking to his side, he saw that his Charmander was fast asleep. "Perhaps I overdid it?" Joe thought to himself as he walked down the street. Then he shook his head. "No, that was important. I needed some time to get to know Blaze, especially since we're going to start challenging trainers. There's no way that I'm going to lose my first battle!" As he walked though, he resolved to catch some more pokemon in order to help Blaze out. Finally, after what seemed like hours he saw his destination. "Well, there's the pokemon center." Joe said to himself as he walked over to it. Upon entering, he immediately headed over to the front desk. "Hello sir how can I help you?" The female nurse asked as she spun her chair around to face him. "It's my Blaz… err Charmander, he's a little tuckered out." Joe answered as he picked up his pokemon. He carefully placed him on the table, trying not to wake him up. "Alright, we'll take a look at him." She replied as she signaled two Chansey to take care of his pokemon. As he watched them wheel Blaze away, he heard the Nurse address him. "For now you can either leave and come back, or wait in the waiting room with the others." All of a sudden, he felt something vibrate on his left arm. Looking down he saw that his PokePad was vibrating. "Looks like someone's calling me." Joe thought to himself as he pulled his wrist up to his mouth. Tapping a button on the touchscreen, he said, "Hello who is it." "Hello, how is my little twainer and his cutesy wootsy pokemon doing!" Joe nearly fell over in shock. On the pad, his mother's face had appeared and she didn't seem to realize that the speaker phone was on. "Mom knock it off I'm in public." Joe answered in an annoyed voice, hammering the speaker-phone button. Looking around he saw that a couple of the other trainers were beginning to stare. "Oh I just love it when you act like a broody tough guy." His mom replied. As Joe saw the nurse smirk, he said through gritted teeth, "Shut up mom. What is it?" "I just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all. Oh and Professor Oak wanted to check with you as well." She said as her face was replaced with Oak's. "Ah Joe hello, how are you?" Oak asked as he waved. "I'm fine professor what is it." Joe said, a bored tone in his voice. "Oh nothing, how far have you gotten?" "Only to Viridian city." Joe answered, but when he saw Oak's disappointed look he replied, "Only because Blaze and I took some time to get to know each other." "Nothing wrong with that. But you wouldn't happen to be thinking of challenging the gym there would you?" Oak said. "Nah. I've only got one pokemon so far and we haven't even battled any trainers yet." Joe replied, then added. "Besides, Pewter city's our first target anyway." "Oh good. Speaking of catching pokemon, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Joe arched his eyebrow as he asked, "What sort of favor?" Oak took a deep breath and asked, "While you see a long time ago I was a teenager like you. Carefree and determined, living out my own pokemon adventure." "Yeah… and?" Joe replied with a skeptical look on his face. "Well… I never accomplished my dream. You see, I have always been fascinated by pokemon. That's why I became a researcher once I grew too old. Of course, I no longer have my youth but…" "What is he up to?" Joe thought to himself as he urged, "Go ahead professor." "While I have always wanted to catch every single pokemon. But of course I'm far too old to take on such a challenge. You on the other hand…" Sighing Joe asked, "Now why would a person who wants to be Pokemon Champion care about catching every single pokemon?" At first Oak had no answer, but then he smiled and offered, "I know! I'll give you a certificate!" "No thanks." Joe coolly refused as he cut the connection on his PokePad. "Sorry professor, but I could care less about catching every single pokemon." Joe thought as he turned and looked out the window. In the distance, far above the mountain line he could see a giant tower, his final destination. "It's all about being the strongest for me." As he gazed at the Plateau, he heard somebody chuckling nearby. "What's so funny?" He asked as he turned towards the source of the laughter. The nurse's chuckling quickly subsided into a smile as she apologized. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've never heard the term "cutesy wootsy" apply to a pokemon before." Joe immediately jumped to Blaze's defense. "It doesn't, Blaze is a walking talking flamethrower." He answered. Smiling, the nurse typed some information into her computer than answered, "I know. Charmander are pretty common in this place, them being starter pokemon and what not. So I take it his name is Blaze?" "Yeah." Joe replied simply, continuing to stare out the window. "And what's your name?" The Nurse asked as she stopped typing and offered her hand. Joe, defensive at first simply answered, "That's not important." "While I can't write ? into the report!" She exclaimed at first, but then smiled softly and added, "Alright then my name's Joy." Realizing that he didn't have a choice, Joe gave her his first name and shook her hand. "Well it's nice to meet you Joe." Joy said with a smile as she typed his name into the computer. "Likewise." He answered he began to look out the window again. All of a sudden he heard a friendly growl come from behind him. "Are you this Pokemon's trainer?" Joe heard someone ask as he turned around. Behind the desk, he saw a woman in a white lab coat carrying Blze in her arms. Smiling she handed him his Pokemon and said, "I'm Dr. Cedar." She then proceeded to offer her hand which he shook. "I'm Joe." He answered, then looked over to his right shoulder. "How you feeling Buddy?" He asked. Blaze smiled and flexed his tiny arms, letting out a challenging growl as he did so. "Sounds like you're ready to go." Joe stated, then he looked at Doctor Cedar and Joy. "Thanks for helping Blaze." He said as he turned and headed for the door. "It was our pleasure." Cedar answered as she turned to Joy and said, "Not a very talkative kid huh?"

"Alright Blaze, I know this is the first gym that we have seen but that's no reason to be afraid." Joe reassured as he and Blaze approached Viridian City Gym. It was a large building which was surrounded by a giant fence. "An electric fence too." Joe thought as he saw a Spearow try to perch on top and fall to the ground. "But how do we get inside?" Looking around, he noticed a large gate which seemed to be the only way inside the complex. As he walked up to the gate, Joe noticed that there were several cameras lined along the fence. Upon reaching the gate he heard someone say, "State your business." Looking around however, he saw that no one was there. Then he saw that it was not a person who had called him, but a speaker. "My name is Joe Donnelly. I'm a trainer from Pallet Town and I'm here to see the gym." Joe stated as he looked towards the speaker attached to the gate doors. "We're sorry, but we can't let you in." The voice on the speaker said. "Only those challenging the Gym leader are allowed to enter, and official challenges must be scheduled months ahead of time." "But I'm not here to challenge anyone; I just wanted to see what a gym was like!" Joe tried to reason, but it fell on deaf ears. "Well buddy, looks like we won't be getting in anytime soon." Joe said as he saw Blaze sigh. Then all of a sudden Blaze's eyes lit up. Looking over to the source of his pokemon's excitement, Joe slowly smiled. "There might be another way."

"C'mon Jasper, we could make it." She begged as she rode in the back of the limo. It had been a long trip, what with her father's mansion being located in Saffron, but they had finally made it to Viridian City. Only to be stopped short of their real goal by a bunch of caterpillars. "Now now C`elia my dear, we can't drive a limo straight through a forest. All that nasty paperwork." She heard Jasper say as they pulled to a stop. "But we were soooo close to Pewter!" She complained as she fiddled with her dress. But it was no use. Jasper looked back at her and chided, "We can't go back my dear, Cade would throw me out onto the streets themselves if anything happened to you." Crossing her arms, she replied, "Who cares about that loser, he's just a lap-dog anyway!" As the car began moving again, Jasper answered indignantly, "Now really miss C`elia, is that any way to talk about your own flesh and blood?" She was about to answer when all of a sudden she felt a small quake in her seat. Almost as if something had hit the trunk of the limousine. "Did you feel that Jasper?" She asked as she began to turn her head around. "Feel what maam?" He replied with a confused look on his face. "Oh nothing, must have been the wind or something." C`elia answered as she casually glanced out the window. For a second she thought that she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, but she quickly dismissed away. "Just the wind."

"Too easy." Joe thought as he hung on to the back of the limo. At first, he had thought that there would be no way to sneak past the gates. But then he had seen the limo. "With protection this sophisticated, whoever's in charge of this gym must be rolling in coin. And what car is standard to any billionaire?" He thought. With one hand he was gripping the top of the trunk, with the other Blaze was hanging on for dear life. "Hang on buddy, we're almost inside." Joe reassured as Blaze gave him a smile. Carefully, he peeked above the trunk and tried to peek inside. But the limo's windows were tinted too dark for him to see through. Using the back end of the car for cover, he carefully dodged the camera's line of sight and finally felt a wave of satisfaction as the gate doors opened. "Now to find a way off." Joe thought as he carefully looked around the courtyard. Then he saw it, and quickly pointed Blaze in the right direction. Crouching, Joe carefully leapt into a bush and waited for the limo to disappear.. They waited for what seemed like an eternity until Joe was sure that the limo had moved on. When it finally drove off out of sight, he slowly creeped out of the bush. "Not bad huh buddy?" Joe said to Blaze on his right shoulder, who growled his approval. They then began walking towards the gym, intent on seeing it for the first time.

"Well here we are." Jasper stated as they pulled in front of a large building with a giant pokeball symbol on it. "Where's here?" C`elia asked, confused. "Why this is Viridian city Gym, the one owned by your father." Jasper said matter of factly. Than he added with a small smile, "Cade is here, perhaps you can convince him." C`elia slowly smiled in realization and opened the door to the limo. Before running off, she quickly put her head threw the window of the limo and placed a quick kiss on Jasper's wrinkled cheek. "Thank you Jasper!" She exclaimed as she began to run over to the Gym doors. "You're welcome miss C`elia." Jasper replied. As C`elia reached the doors however, they opened on their own. "C`elia, what in the world are you doing here?" she heard Cade ask as he exited the gym. "Hi Cade, good to see you again." C`elia replied as she embraced him. She didn't miss the two brutes standing on either side of him as well. "You still haven't answered my question yet." Cade urged as they broke their embrace. "Well you see…" C`elia tried to ask, but withered under Cade's powerful gaze. "Well what?" Cade urged again. "C'mon C`elia, time to take off the dress and fight back." She thought, but then she looked down and noticed that she was wearing a dress. "Speaking of which I'm not even wearing a bra. If I did actually take my dress of…. No focus!" Taking a deep breath she asked, "I'd like to travel to Pewter City to visit the museum." Cade simply shrugged her off. "Sorry no can do. Viridian forest is far too dangerous for someone of our position. Perhaps another time." "But there won't be another time! There's this exhibit on Pokemon biology that I really want to see and…" She begged, hoping that he would have a change of heart for once. But there was no such luck. Folding his arms he answered emphatically, "The answer is no." At first she was simply disappointed, but then that turned to anger. "He's always like this, just playing a puppet. I'm so tired of being treated like I'm the puppet!" Furious, she started to yell at Cade. "I'm 15, technically 2 years past the age of being considered legal to own my own Pokemon and travel across the whole country for god sakes!" Looking over at Cade, she saw the look in his eyes and prepared herself for war.

"Ah there's the gym" Joe thought cheerfully as the building grew closer. That cheerfulness quickly left him though, as he noticed the commotion in front of the gym. "Ever since you were born you were well taken care of!" He heard someone say. Looking over, he saw two people arguing outside the gym. The one who had spoken was a man with jet black hair that was slicked back. "Oh sure, I was treated like a baby. Except when I grew out of my diapers the treatment stayed the same you dick!" Looking over towards the source of that racket, Joe saw a girl. She seemed to be around his age. She had long red hair, and deep hazel eyes. She also wore a dress that matched her hair. "And her temper for that matter." Joe thought as he turned to Blaze and said, "Well look at little miss sunshine." "Char Char." Blaze replied as they both chuckled. "Perhaps we can use this to our advantage."

"How dare you call me such a thing! After all I've done for you!" C`elia heard Cade shout as they got right into each other's faces. "Oh yeah, kept me out of public schools, prevented me from owning my own Pokemon, confining me to that prison!" C`elia shouted back. "You don't understand the kind of position we are in!" Cade answered as he folded his arms. "Forget it, I'm leaving!" C`elia declared as she turned around and began walking away. Arching his eyebrow, Cade asked, "Oh really, and how will you make it through Viridian Forest without a pokemon?" That stopped her in her tracks. He was right, without a Pokemon she was helpless. She was about to concede defeat, when out of the corner of her eye she spotted something. A teenage boy was slowly creeping around the scuffle, intent on reaching the double doors to the gym. He had dark green eyes and short brown hair which stuck out from his hat. What caught her eye however, was the Pokemon riding on his shoulder. Cautiously she answered, "He'll escort me." "Who'll escort you?" Cade asked dumbfounded. "What am I thinking?" C`elia asked herself as she pointed straight at the kid. But then she shook her head and thought, "It's the only way. I know that Cade would never send one of his goons to escort me, he's way too overprotective. And it's his fault that I don't have my own Pokemon." Looking over to where she was pointing, Cade called out, "Hey kid, what are you doing on our property?" The teen didn't even turn his head as he answered, "I'm no one special, just ignore me." Cade would have none of it however, as he motioned towards his guards. The teen was nearly knocked over as the guards blocked his path to the door. "If you're not going to tell us who you are, then I'm just going to have to guess." Cade stated coldly as he slowly approached the intruder, step by step. "You see, you clearly own a Pokemon. Which means that you are likely another wannabe trainer who thinks that they are tough shit." Cade explained, matching words with footsteps. "But here's where you're wrong. You are a baby, a beginner, a trainer fresh out of diapers lacking the toughness that comes from constant battle." He continued, and then his eyes narrowed as he added, "In other words just a piece of shit." Cade, who C`elia knew had faced many rookie trainers, clearly expected this new guy to shrink like she had earlier. He didn't. He simply grinned and answered, "I was going to save this gym for last, as is the custom." All of a sudden however, his voice grew darker and his eyes narrowed as he added, "But I could always make an exception." Cade had a malicious smile on his face as he threatened, "I'm going to enjoy this." However, the teen began to answer, "Not as much as m- what the hell!" Midsentence, something tugged hard at his arm. C`elia tightened her grip as she began sprinting down the path to the exit. The kid was clearly startled, as he didn't even try to fight back. "C`elia come back here!" She heard Cade shout as she headed for the exit, intent on gaining as much distance as she could. Her heart sank however, when they reached the wall. "Damn, I completely forgot about the Gates!" She thought worriedly. Suddenly she felt her arm jerk away, the kid had finally torn free of her grasp. There was a cautious look on his face at first, as he was obviously unsure of whether to trust her. But then the imminent threat facing him outweighed his caution. Exchanging a look, he quickly nodded towards his pokemon. "What is he doing?" She wondered as the Charmander leaped off of his shoulder. "Blaze use Ember full blast!" The kid exclaimed with his finger stretched out. The Charmander let out a roar and with it's mouth opened wide, released a barrage of flames. As the pokemon fired, C`elia followed the direction that the kid was pointing in and immediately hit the dirt. The fence was special in that it was an electric fence. In order to power the electricity and cameras, one needed a powerful transformer. The kid had apparently had enough of the fence, as he had decided to make a permanent addition to it… by blowing up the transformer. Covering her eyes as she looked up, she saw the psycho grab his pokemon in one smooth motion and land on top of him, intent on shielding him from the blast. Cade and his guards were not so lucky however. Having finally caught up with the runaways, they had barely had the time to shout in protest as Charmander opened his mouth towards the wall. "no No NO FFFUUU!" Was all Cade got out as he and his goons were blasted back by the force of the explosion. C`elia felt the heat roll over her back. Choking, her eyes began to water from the thick smoke that was lingering from the blast. All of a sudden she heard someone say, "Get up." The kid, covering his mouth with his forearm, helped her slowly stand up. Silently, they snuck through the hole in the gate and ran for daylight.

"Crobat, use gust." Cade commanded as he threw his pokeball. In the midst of the smokescreen a Bat like pokemon with four wings began flapping them furiously. The powerful wind produced from the Bat immediately shifted the smoke away the coughing guards. One of the men, having got his hacking under control asked, "Should we chase them boss?" Cade carefully scanned the hillside but they were nowhere in sight. "Return Crobat." Cade ordered as he held his device out. Crobat was engulfed in a red light as it traveled from its position in the air to Cade's hand. Placing the ball in his belt, Cade motioned toward his guards to follow him. "No, there's no way that we'll catch up to them now. We have more important matters to take care of." He answered as he turned back towards the gym. "But what about C`elia?" The guard asked. Cade replied, "It's alright, we know where they are headed. We'll just have to steal her back on the way." "And the intruder?" Smiling Cade answered, "Make sure he disappears in the forest… Permanently."

"I think we lost them." The kid stated, as they finally stopped running. Having sprinted all the way back to the city, she was winded. "Phew huff that was huh huh close." C`elia sighed in relief as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Taking her hands off of her knees, she noticed the kid walking away with his Charmander on his shoulder. "Wait!" C`elia called out as she tried to catch up. Tripping over her heels she fell flat on her face. Seeing her fall, the Charmander began to hiss. "What's up with him?" She wondered at first, then an angry look cemented itself on her face. "Wait a minute, he must be laughing at me!" Shooting a glare at the pokemon, she picked herself up and tossed her heels to the side. Barefoot and comfortable, she finally caught up with the mystery trainer. "What's the big hurry?" She asked as she slowed her gait to a walk. "I've got stuff to do." He answered as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What kinds of stuff?" She asked carefully. "None of your business." He answered as he changed directions so that his back was to her. "Crap, if he leaves then there's no way I'm making it to Pewter." She thought desperately as she said, "Oh c'mon, you can trust me." "Of course I can." He answered, but his reply was chock full of sarcasm. "But I saved you." She answered her voice on the edge of defeat. "Haha oh yeah. Random girl takes me on a merry chase through the gym courtyard from her father and his groupies, both looking to chop my friend and I up into tiny bits and serve them to his Growlithe. Then says that I can trust her." He replied, then he stopped for a second. Turning his neck to face her, he stated, "No chance." He then added as he looked away from her again, "I think Blaze and I did most of the saving anyways." "You sure saved me, in fact you almost saved me all over the wall with that stunt you pulled." She shot back, then instantly regretted it. "Now's not the time to lash out. I know I was right by grabbing him. If I hadn't… I've seen what Cade does to losing trainers…" She thought as she took several deep breaths and calmed herself down. "You never could have taken Cade, and deep down you know I'm right." She didn't want to resort to this, but he left her no choice. She had to get to Pewter, she just had to. She knew that her father would punish her, and this kid would probably hate her but even 5 minutes spent making her own decision was enough for her. It worked, the trainer stopped as his pokemon gave him a confused glance. "What gives you that idea?" He asked as he turned to face her. Slowly approaching him, she answered, "In fact, you never had any intention of challenging the gym." Then it hit her, that silhouette in the limo. "That was you! You used the limo to sneak in!" She exclaimed. "Yeah that was me. Sure I didn't plan on challenging the gym just yet, but somehow they caught me sneaking towards the door..." The trainer said as he looked off to the side, pondering how he was spotted. C`elia scratched her head and said, "That is kind of funny right?" as she thought, "Whoops." "…and then Blaze and I got backed into a corner." The trainer finished as she came at an arm's length. "You weren't actually going to fight him were you?" She asked as she purposely injected worry into her tone. "Like I said we got backed into a corner, and there was no way that I was going to leave him alone with those creeps." He answered as he nodded towards the light-orange creature lying on his shoulder. "Well of course not, who would ever want to leave such a cute… er I mean tough pokemon behind." C`elia answered, switching up her answer after both the trainer and his pokemon shot her glares. "Look I'm sorry, my name is C`elia." She said as she offered him her hand. For a second he looked her over, as if deciding whether to trust her or not. But eventually he caved. Taking her hand and firmly shaking it he replied, "I'm Joe." "Nice to meet you Joe." She answered, then after a couple moments she asked, "So where are you headed?" "Well, the next Gym is in Pewter city." He replied as they began to walk. "But isn't Viridian Forest in between Viridian and Pewter?" She said with mock worry. "Exactly, I was going to stock up on supplies at the local mart. I don't want Blaze here to pass out from poison and we had a little altercation with some Beedrill." He answered as he glanced at his pokemon. "What sort of altercation?" She asked. "The fatal kind." Joe replied simply. "That's horrible!" She exclaimed, then added as she feigned interest, "What happened?"

"Well here we are, Viridian City poke mart!" Joe heard C`elia exclaim as they reached the blue building. Upon entering, his eyes were assaulted by an assortment of goods ranging from pokeballs to potions and various items. As he looked through the shelves he noticed C`elia wander off. "Where are you going?" He asked as the maroon haired girl ran off. "I've got to buy some new clothes, my dress got wrecked when you remodeled that fence!" She replied without looking back. "Oh right, sorry about that." Joe answered sheepishly but she had already disappeared amongst the other shoppers. "Char Char." He heard Blaze say as he began to walk up and down the aisles. "I know buddy, she's definitely a handful. Maybe we should just ditch her?" He suggested. Looking up he saw the sign that said in bold gold letters:Status Medicine. And immediately headed over to it. "Charmander Char Char!" Blaze disagreed. "What, you want to stick by her?" Joe asked as his pokemon nodded. "While we could use her as a hostage, I'll give you that much. But something's off…" Blaze scratched its head and looked at him questioningly. "Let's see, burn heal, freeze heal, paralyze heal…" Joe trailed off. "Char?" Blaze asked as Joe finally found what he was looking for. "There it is, antidote." Joe said, grabbing several boxes. Then he began walking towards the register. "Well for starters, that jerk who I guess is her father has two personal meat shields. Then there's the fact that she was fighting with him for not letting her go to Pewter City. But didn't you see the way she reacted when we mentioned that we were headed to Pewter?" Joe asked as Blaze rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Then he added, "Besides, I don't trust anybody except for my mother and well… you." All of a sudden a big smile grew on Blaze's face as he growled in approval. "Um excuse me mister, I can help you over here." Looking up Joe noticed that he was being waved over by one of the cashiers, as well as several customers behind him who were beginning to grow agitated. As he moved over to the register, he handed him the boxes and took out his wallet. Suddenly he heard someone say, "Excuse me, coming through…" "Oh no." Joe thought as he mentally face palmed. "Excuse me lady, but you're going to have to go to the back of the line." His Cashier stated firmly as he stopped scanning Joe's goods. C`elia simply shrugged him off and answered, "It's alright, my friend's right here. He was saving me a spot." Then she elbowed him in the side and added, "Right buddy?" This time he did face palm. After removing his hand from his forehead, he took out a couple of bills and paid for the antidotes. C`elia on the other hand simply placed her bags on the table and whipped out a pokedex. "What is she doing?" He wondered as he placed his new purchase inside one of the side pockets of his bag. She then proceeded to flip the device open and swipe it above the item scanner. The cashier waited for a couple seconds, then after a "Cha-ching," sound of confirmation from the register gave C`elia a curt nod and said with a forced smile, "Have a nice day." Grabbing her bags, she walked over to Joe, a cheery look on her face. "How much did you buy?" Joe asked as he stared at the numerous bags in her hands. "Enough, speaking of which." She answered, tossing all but two of her bags into his arms. Looking back towards the cashier, she asked, "I have to change, is there a fitting room in back?" "Yes, on the clothing floor in the pants section." He answered as he exited the cashier booth from the side. Exchanging a sympathetic glance with Joe he added, "Right this way." Joe watched as the clerk lead C`elia up the stairs and out of sight. The line of patient customers was beginning to form a crowd, and upon seeing the abandoned register had begun to groan impatiently. Noticing a couple customers glaring at him, he decided to wait outside for C`elia. As he leaned against the wall, he carefully scanned the streets on the lookout for anyone remotely resembling her father's goons. But the streets were surprisingly empty, especially for a city like Viridian. Satisfied that they were safe for the time being, he said to his partner, "You still want to stick by her buddy?" Blaze frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Almost done!" C`elia thought as she tied her left sneaker. When she was finished, she stood up and checked herself out. The fitting room wasn't a fancy one, or at least like the ones in Saffron. But it had a full mirror, one that could show the viewer their entire body. She had decided to go with comfort over style, wearing a simple pair of small shorts as well as a pink short-sleeve shirt. Satisfied with her look, she picked up her bag and was about to walk out when she made a last-minute decision. "Since I'm going into the forest, I'd best be prepared." She thought as she reached into her bag. Pulling out a scrunchy, she proceeded to tie her long hair into a pony-tail. "There. That should keep it out of the way!" She thought as she finally walked out of the dressing room. When she came down the stairs however, Joe was nowhere in sight. "Now where did my pass-port go?" She wondered as she began to search the first floor. She didn't look long however. The store clerk who had helped noticed her looking around and asked, "Are you looking for that man miss?" Nodding, she answered, "Yeah, we were supposed to go somewhere together…" "Some customers told me that he went outside." The man answered. Smiling, C`elia replied, "Thanks, I'll go find him!" As she turned to walk out, she swore that she heard the clerk murmur, "Poor guy," in the background. But she simply ignored him. As soon as she got outside, she heard someone say, "What took you so long?" Startled, she nearly tripped over the last step of the mart entrance. "What the he-are you doing there?" She half-shouted, half-asked normally as her heart raced a mile a minute. "The crowd was shooting me death glares thanks to you." He answered as he unfolded his arms and began to walk. "You were a real bitch in there you know that?" C`elia began to fume on the inside. "That dick! How dare he call me a… no C`elia. We can't fight him. If we piss him off then he'll leave and we can't abandon him. Not yet." Getting herself under control, she answered, "You've never talked to a girl before have you." "Whatever, why were you so startled back there?" He suddenly asked, subtly changing the subject. Thrown off-guard, she blurted out, "Because I thought they had gotten you." She immediately regretted it. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She thought, mentally smacking herself. "What do you mean they?" Joe asked, halting in his tracks. C`elia eyed him as she also stopped walking. Both Joe and his Charmander were giving her suspicious looks. "Oh crap, what do I say?!" She wondered as she frantically racked her mind for an excuse. "The crowd of course silly!" She answered, adding a seductive note to her voice as she forced a smile onto her face. Joe simply folded his arms and continued to stare, as if doubting her. She couldn't tell whether he was deciding to buy her story or simply deciding whether or not he should order his pokemon to burn her to a crisp. The former won out however, as he unfolded his arms and answered, "Alright." And began walking again. "Holy crap he actually bought it!" She thought in relief, then ran to catch up with him. Desperate to change the subject, she pointed forward and exclaimed, "Look the entrance to Viridian Forest is over there!" "I see it, I see it." Joe answered. "Do you really think we'll be ok? I mean, you're just a trainer out of diapers…" C`elia teased. "We'll be fine. Blaze and I can take on anyone!" Joe stated confidently as he took his first step into the forest. Watching him go, C`elia thought to herself with excitement, "First Viridian Forest, then Pewter City! Once we get through the forest I can finally ditch this jerk!" Her goal only one obstacle away, she took her first step towards freedom.


End file.
